Sensor and Actuators B: Scope & Impact Factor

Q: What is the impact factor of Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical?

The official impact factor sensors and actuators b holds is 8.3 as reported in Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports. The journal also carries a Scopus CiteScore of 15.2, placing it in Quartile 1 (Q1) within Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation.

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical is an international peer-reviewed journal published by Elsevier, focusing on research and development across chemical sensors, biosensors, chemical actuators, and analytical microsystems. Authors and researchers frequently refer to the publication as sensor and actuators b, sensors and actuators b, or sensors and actuators b chemical when seeking submission guidelines, scope boundaries, and citation metrics.

Prospective authors must evaluate whether their experimental work aligns with the journal’s focus on chemical transduction or whether companion titles such as Sensors and Actuators A: Physical are more suitable. Understanding the editorial criteria, peer-review process, and open-access policies ensures manuscripts meet baseline standards prior to submission.

What It Is

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical (ISSN: 0925-4005) is an interdisciplinary research journal established as a specialized branch of the Sensors and Actuators series. While Part A addresses physical transducers and solid-state sensors, Sensors and Actuators B publishes research where devices interact with chemical compounds, biochemical targets, and fluidic analytes.

The journal publishes original research papers, short communications, and authoritative reviews. As one of the prominent peer-reviewed ScienceDirect journals, it subjects all submissions to external refereeing before publication. Within the scholarly communication ecosystem, its articles serve as rigorous peer-reviewed references for analytical methodologies and instrumentation benchmarks.

Who Runs It and What It Covers

The journal is published by Elsevier B.V. and directed by Co-Editors-in-Chief supported by international associate editors and editorial board members specializing in analytical chemistry and sensor engineering.

Scope and Subject Areas

The scope of sensors and actuators b: chemical spans several core domains:

Chemical Sensors: Transducers for gaseous, volatile, and dissolved ionic species using optical, electrochemical, acoustic, or thermal mechanisms.
Biosensors: Devices incorporating biological recognition elements—including enzymes, antibodies, aptamers, and nucleic acids—for clinical and environmental assays.
Chemical Actuators: Chemo-mechanical actuators, responsive polymers, microfluidic valves, and micro/nanomotors powered by chemical or electrochemical energy.
Analytical Microsystems (μTAS and Lab-on-a-Chip): Miniaturized total analysis systems, microfluidic devices, and point-of-care detection platforms.
Sensor Arrays and Chemometrics: Multi-sensor arrays, electronic noses, and pattern-recognition algorithms for complex analyte mixtures.

The editorial office requires experimental validation. Theoretical modeling or finite-element simulations alone are out of scope unless paired with experimental device fabrication. Furthermore, sensor studies must demonstrate functionality in real-sample matrices (such as serum, environmental water, or food products) rather than simple buffer solutions.

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical Impact Factor and Citation Metrics

Researchers examining the sensor and actuators b impact factor find strong citation performance across both chemistry and engineering. Key metrics include:

Journal Impact Factor (JIF): The impact factor of sensors and actuators b: chemical is 8.3 per Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), placing it in Quartile 1 (Q1) for Chemistry, Analytical and Instruments & Instrumentation.
Scopus CiteScore: The journal holds a CiteScore of 15.2, ranking in the top 95th to 98th percentile among indexed instrumentation journals.
Citation Context: When evaluating journals by impact factor, tracking the sensors and actuators b impact factor and the sensors and actuators b chemical impact factor demonstrates high citation velocity across materials science and chemical engineering. Understanding indexing frameworks also clarifies how journal-level citation metrics operate across multidisciplinary repositories.

How to Search or Use It

Authors preparing manuscripts for Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical navigate the Elsevier Editorial Manager submission system through seven procedural steps:

Verify Scope Alignment: Confirm the device relies on chemical or biological transduction. Purely physical sensors (e.g., strain gauges or mechanical accelerometers) belong in Sensors and Actuators A: Physical.
Structure the Manuscript: Prepare the article with standard sections (Title, Abstract, Introduction, Experimental, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, References). State the limit of detection (LOD), sensitivity, and dynamic range clearly in the abstract.
Draft Highlights and Graphical Abstract: Formulate 3 to 5 bullet points (85 characters or fewer each) summarizing key advances, and create a standalone Graphical Abstract illustrating the detection mechanism.
Incorporate Real-Sample Validation: Provide spike-recovery assays and selectivity studies in complex matrices to prevent immediate desk rejection.
Access the Editorial Manager: Log into the official portal (editorialmanager.com/sab) using Elsevier or ORCID credentials.
Upload Source Files: Submit editable manuscript files (Word/LaTeX), high-resolution graphics, and complete declarations for Data Availability, CRediT author statements, and competing interests.
Select Publishing Track and Approve Proof: Choose between subscription publishing ($0 APC) or Gold Open Access, then approve the generated submission PDF.

Strengths and Limits

Authors should consider both the operational advantages and publication constraints of the journal.

Strengths

High Citation Visibility: An Impact Factor of 8.3 and CiteScore of 15.2 provide wide visibility across academic and industrial sensor communities.
Hybrid Model Flexibility: Authors without open-access funds can publish free of charge under standard subscription access.
Fast Initial Screening: Initial editorial triage averages ~14 days, providing prompt feedback if a submission falls outside scope.
Rigorous Domain Review: Reviewers provide detailed technical assessments on analytical selectivity and sensor reproducibility.

Limits

High Desk Rejection: The overall acceptance rate is approximately 17%; incremental advances without novel mechanisms are regularly declined.
No Theory-Only Papers: Purely computational or simulation papers without physical experimental prototypes are not considered.
Strict Part A/Part B Split: Transducers without chemical selectivity are rejected and must be resubmitted to Part A.

Alternatives

The table below summarizes leading alternatives to Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical across sensor development and analytical instrumentation:

Journal	Publisher	Primary Focus	Publishing Model	Review Model
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical	Elsevier	Chemical sensors, biosensors, chemical actuators, μTAS	Hybrid ($0 subscription / ~$4,890 Gold OA)	Single-blind
Sensors and Actuators A: Physical	Elsevier	Physical transducers, MEMS, mechanical actuation	Hybrid ($0 subscription / Gold OA)	Single-blind
Biosensors and Bioelectronics	Elsevier	Biomolecular diagnostics, biochips, cellular sensing	Hybrid ($0 subscription / Gold OA)	Single-blind
ACS Sensors	ACS Publications	Chemical sensing mechanisms, analytical nanomaterials	Hybrid ($0 subscription / Gold OA)	Single-blind
IEEE Sensors Journal	IEEE	Sensor hardware, circuit integration, sensor networks	Hybrid ($0 subscription / Gold OA)	Single-blind

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the impact factor of Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical?

The official impact factor sensors and actuators b holds is 8.3 as reported in Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports. The journal also carries a Scopus CiteScore of 15.2, placing it in Quartile 1 (Q1) within Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation.

How does Sensors and Actuators B differ from Sensors and Actuators A?

Part B focuses exclusively on chemical and biological interactions—such as analyte binding, redox reactions, gas sorption, or chemical microactuation. Part A covers physical phenomena, including mechanical stress, piezoelectricity, optical refraction, and thermal transduction lacking chemical selectivity.

Does Sensors and Actuators B charge an article publishing charge (APC)?

Publishing under the traditional subscription model requires no article publishing charge ($0 APC). Authors choosing Gold Open Access pay an APC of approximately $4,890 USD, which may be covered through institutional transformative agreements.

What peer-review model does the journal use?

The journal follows a single-blind peer-review model where reviewer identities remain concealed from authors, while author identities are visible to reviewers.

Why are submissions frequently desk-rejected?

Manuscripts are typically desk-rejected due to lack of novel analytical mechanisms, testing performed solely in buffer solutions without real-sample matrix validation, or submission of physical sensors that belong in Part A.